Sleep My Sweet
by Copper's Mama
Summary: sequel to "say goodnight, not goodbye" . daniel finds cam and vala in bed together...awkward... 10th and final chapter is up! please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

A sequel to "say goodnight, not goodbye"

A sequel to "say goodnight, not goodbye".

Disclaimer: I still don't own stargate…

**Cam lay in his bed, sore from head to foot, cursing his stupidity for sparring with Sheppard. His eyes still closed, he tried to lift his arms above his head to stretch, but his right arm was trapped. Confused, he opened his eyes and looked over, surprised to see a mass of black hair covering his arm. **

**He thought back to last night, and couldn't quite remember coming back to his quarters. **

**Gently, so as not to wake her, he brought his other arm up and pulled enough hair away from her face so he could see who she was. He nearly had a heart attack. **

**Pulling the covers off, he realized they were both wearing only their undergarments. **

"**What the hell?" he whispered, trying hard to remember what had happened. He hadn't been drinking, he was sure. **

**There was a soft knock on the door. Before he could react, Daniel walked into his room. **

"**Hey, Mitchell, Sam's looking for …" he trailed off, shocked at what he saw before him. "What the hell?"**

**Cam started to say that it so wasn't what it looked like, but then Vala started to stir, and turned over and leaned into Cam. **

"**What is this?" Daniel asked again. **

"**Hmm?" Vala mumbled. "Daniel?"**

"**Vala, get up," Cameron said, moving away from her on the bed. "Jackson, I swear I don't know how she got here."**

"**Yeah, right," Daniel muttered. **

**Vala blinked her eyes open a few times, trying to get her bearings. Then she remembered bringing Cam back to his room, and looked around, seeing Cam. **

"**Hi," she said, closing her eyes again. **

"**Vala," came another voice. **

**Her eyes snapped open. "Daniel."**

**His eyes bore into hers. **

"**What's going on?" she wondered. **

"**That's what I'd like to know," Cam and Daniel said at the same time. **

"**Why are you in my bed?" Cam asked. **

"**Because you said I could sleep here," Vala answered simply, staring back at forth between the two men. **

"**Why did I say that?"**

**Vala shrugged. "I don't know, you're the one who said it."**

**Daniel cleared his voice. "Why don't we start off simple. Why are you in his room in the first place?"**

"**Oh, that's easy," Vala answered. "He needed help back to his room after his sparring match with Col. Sheppard, and by the time I helped him back here, I was tired, so I just went to sleep here. He was pretty out of it."**

"**Okay," Cam said. "I think I remember that. So there was no alcohol involved?"**

**Vala shook her head, getting a headache. "Daniel, what are you doing here?"**

**Daniel said, **_**slightly**_** relieved, " I came to tell Mitchell that Sam was looking for him. Why are your clothes off?"**

**Vala looked down at herself, and then at Cameron. "Oh, I usually sleep in the buff, but decided not to under the circumstances. He was complaining in his sleep that he was too hot, so I took off his shirt and pants."**

"**You took my clothes off without my permission?" Cam asked, ignoring the shiver that gave him. **

"**Not exactly," Vala told him. You still have your boxers on, and you looked and felt really warm. I thought I was helping you."**

**She stood from the bed and pulled on her clothing as she walked to the door, trying to move past Daniel. **

"**Excuse me, please," she tried politely, but he didn't budge. "Daniel?"**

**He looked down at her. "Come with me to my office, Vala," he said, turning and leaving.**

**Vala rolled her eyes. **_**Sure, now he wants to see me. Boys are so annoying.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own stargate

_Disclaimer: I don't own stargate._

Vala walked into Daniel's office after him, not missing his obviously upset demeanor.

"Is there something in particular bothering you, Daniel, or -"

Daniel fixed her with a glare that left her speechless. "What were you doing in his room?"

"Um, sleeping?" she offered. Again.

"Vala, you and I both know that you don't just sleep in someone's bed," Daniel told her, taking his glasses off and placing them on the desk.

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Daniel?"

He stared at her. "Did you have sex with him?"

Now it was Vala's turn to stare at him. "What?"

"It's a pretty easy question, Vala," Daniel replied. "Did you have sex with him?"

She fixed him with an icy glare. "That is none of your business Daniel."

"You're on my team, it's my business."

"Really? And this has nothing to do with the fact that you're jealous? It's all because I'm on _your_ team?" Vala shook her head. "I don't think so."

Daniel began to speak, but this time Vala cut him off. "No. Grow up, Daniel, and get over yourself. I certainly have."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Vala made her way to the gymnasium. She needed to work off steam, and the punching bags were the perfect place to do it.

_I flaunt myself at him, I flirt with him, I practically throw myself into his arms, and he doesn't bat a lash. But the second it looks like I'm moving on, then I'm the whore? Stupid Daniel. Stupid secret military base. Stupid Earth people. That's it! I've had it!_

And with that, Vala, sweat covered and breathing heavily, left the gymnasium and stormed off to find General Landry.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Man, what did you say to her?" Cam asked Daniel as he caught up to the archeologist.

"Who?" Daniel asked.

"Vala," Cam stated. "She just quit. She's leaving through the Stargate in less than five minutes."

"What do you mean, she quit? Leaving for where?" Daniel asked, prying his eyes away from the text he was studying.

"She went to Landry and 'handed in her resignation'. She's heading out with SG-5 to meet up with the Tok'ra. What did you say to her?"

Daniel was silent, but made his way to the gate room.

"If this is about the whole sleeping arrangements, Jackson, you know how I feel about her, but I would never do that to you. Just like you would never do that to me. If she's leaving because of that, then you need to make her understand why neither of us made a move."

Daniel brushed him off, increasing his pace to the elevator. They were down to 4 minutes.

The elevator ride took another minute and a half, with people getting on and off at different floors, but finally they both made it out of the elevator and ran to the gate room with just barely two minutes to spare, two minutes to talk her out of leaving them forever.

"Vala, wait," Daniel and Cam said at the same time. "You can't go."

Vala stared at the two panting men before her with a somewhat amused expression on her face.

"I'm afraid that decision has already been made," she said. "But thanks for seeing me off."

Cam gave Daniel a _talk to her, dumbass stare, _and Daniel sighed resignedly.

"Vala, I'm sorry. I overreacted, and I hurt your feelings, and I'm sorry," Daniel told her, standing awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his hands.

"I'm sure that's very true, Daniel, but that's now why I'm leaving."

"It's not?"

She shook her head. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I care about you, the both of you. But I can't be around you when you obviously don't have those kind of feelings for me, so instead of making an already awkward situation worse, I'm leaving, and your little 'band' can return to normal."

"Jackson?"

Daniel turned to look at his friend. "Mitchell?"

"Would you just get it over with?"

"You want it done so badly, you do it," Daniel said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Cam huffed. "Fine, I will."

Looking up at Vala, he noticeably gulped. "Um, Vala … you see, the thing is … oh, hell. We both have feelings for you, but neither one of us acted on them, because we didn't want to hurt the other one. There, happy, Jackson?"

"Oh, ecstatic."

Vala looked back and forth between the two of them. Seconds ticked by. SG-5 stood still, the dialing had yet to start, not even Walter wanted to be the one to break the silence.

Cam and Vala waited, not noticing that they were holding their breath.

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Vala said, breaking the unbearable silence.

Cam and Daniel looked at each other.

"Sorry?" Cam asked.

Vala stepped off the ramp. "Did either one of you for a second think that I could easily choose between you? That stupid "bros before hos" mentality is pathetic. The truth of it is, you both wanted to have an excuse to not facing rejection."

They both hung their heads, Daniel for underestimating Vala, Cam because he knew whom Vala would choose.

"You can forget about sending a team through the gate, General. I hereby withdraw my resignation," Vala said, walking up to the two boys.

"So, here's what we're going to do. I assume there is some formal 'courting' done on this planet, yes?"

They both nodded slowly.

"Great, then I won't have to explain anything," she said, moving to walk past them.

"Wait a minute," Daniel said, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to have to explain a little bit."

Vala sighed. "I thought it was obvious. You two are going to court me. For a period of say … two months. At the end of that time, I will choose between the two of you which one I prefer. Anything goes, boys, and that will definitely include sex," she finished wiggling her eyebrows.

She walked into the hall, but stuck her head back into the room to say, "Oh, be darlings and take my luggage back to my quarters?"

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A/N. I have so much fun writing these stories, just imagining the sorts of trouble Vala could get them into.

Thanks for the reviews, for this story, and my other ones. The reviews are what made me write this sequel to Say Goodnight, Not Goodbye. Keep 'em coming, I love them!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Chapter 3._

_Disclaimer: still don't own stargate. _

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews, keep 'em coming! Thought I'd just put a bit in here to answer some of the questions in the reviews. _

_First, I don't hate Daniel, I love Michael Shanks and the character he plays, I love the Daniel/Vala pairing, but I also love John/Aeryn from Farscape, and aside from them being married to other people, (silly little technicality, really) I love Ben/Claudia. Yes, Daniel is OOC in this fic, but I don't care, that's how I wrote this. _

_Second, I'm __**pretty sure**__ I'm going to end it with C/V, because yes, that is the pairing in the headline things, but I am throwing in some D/V during the "courting"._

_Third, no, I won't be necessarily using the fact that Vala's met Cam's parents against Daniel, because his parents are dead, and I think Nicholas in unavailable, but the subject might come up … we'll see. _

_Fourth, I wanted to go a different direction with the conversation in his office, where Daniel would kiss Vala, and then realize they weren't "compatible" (I love that scene in Farscape), but I decided to go with the "courting" thing instead. _

_Well, I think I'll all A/N out. Hope you like the rest of the story. _

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**Day One: **Vala strolled back to her room, perfectly content with the way things had turned out. She would enjoy making Daniel jump through hoops out of spite, and maybe she would end up with him after all. But her feelings for Cam were new, and she didn't know what to make of them. Hopefully she'd have some clue in the next two months.

"Vala?" came a masculine voice from behind her.

"Yes?" she wondered, turning around.

"I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to go to dinner tonight?" Daniel asked.

Vala smiled. This was going to be so much fun. "Why, Daniel I would love to. Pick me up at 6?"

Daniel nodded, and turned, and almost ran into Cam, who was holding a tray.

"Careful, Jackson, wouldn't want to ruin the lady's lunch," Cam warned him, walking around his friend.

Daniel gave him a semi-playful glare, and walked down the hall.

"What's this?" Vala wondered, trying to get a good look at all the goodies.

Cam stepped into her room. "I thought we could have lunch."

"Oh, you did, did you?"

Cam nodded, setting the tray down on the floor, and sitting down. "Well, I'm going to eat, so if you want some food, you'd better get down here."

Vala smiled, and sat cross-legged across from Cameron. 15 minutes and already she had a lunch date, and plans for a dinner date. Yep, she definitely liked this whole "courting" thing.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Daniel pulled his car into a parking stall near the elevator, and turned off the engine, smiling at Vala. He opened his door, and quickly moved around to the other side of the car to open hers.

"Thank you, Daniel," Vala responded, sliding her purse over her shoulder as they began walking towards elevator.

They got to the door to her quarters and Vala turned around, placing a hand on Daniel face. "I had a wonderful time tonight, Daniel," she said, pulling him to her for a kiss.

It was sweet and long, and Vala pulled back with a smile on her face.

"Goodnight, Daniel," she said, and before he could reply, she stepped into her room and closed the door.

Daniel sighed happily. "Goodnight."

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**Day 8:** Vala pulled her hair into pig tails before blowing a kiss into the mirror and walking out of her room. She was feeling pretty good about life. Daniel took her out to dinner even second or third night, and she had lunch with Cam every day, whether they were on missions or not, though usually if they were on a mission, they at as a group, and Vala was pleased to notice that Cam and Daniel were both civil and friendly towards each other when they hung out together.

She had been worried, as they had obviously been, that this competition between them would put a strain on their friendship. But, luckily for them all, they seemed to be getting along just fine.

………………………………………………………………………………………

**Day 15:** "Oh, hey, I almost forgot," Cam said as they left her quarters after lunch.

"What?" she wondered.

"You have tomorrow off, right?"

Vala nodded.

Cam smiled. "You're spending the day with me, then."

"And what if I have plans already?" she teased.

Cam grinned as he walked down the hall away from her. "Pick you up at 8, sharp."

Vala rolled her eyes and made her way to Sam's lab.

"Hey," she said, peeking her head in the door. "Ready?"

Sam smiled. "Just."

"Well, get a move on, girl, we're gonna miss it!" Vala reminded her.

The two made a break for the gym, running with grins like giddy schoolgirls.

By the time they got there, the fun had already started.

"What's he at?" Vala asked a nearby lieutenant.

"41," the girl answered with a grin.

Vala turned to Sam. "Good, we haven't missed much."

Vala pushed their way to the front, and they squished their way onto a bench in decent view on the workout area, and sat back and counted, as Teal'c repeatedly lifted roughly 300 pounds over and over.

65 … 82 … 127 … 148 … 210 … 264 … 301

Suddenly, and to everyone's disappointment, a voice rang out.

"Alright, show's over everyone," General Landry called through the megaphone. Again. "Lunchtime is over. Back to work, people."

A resounding groan echoed through the crowd, and Landry replied, "What was that?"

In response, everyone shuffled out of the gym. Sam and Vala hung back.

"Déjà vu," Vala whispered, thinking back to that fateful night, just over two weeks ago, of Cam and John's sparring match, broken up by General Landry.

"Now, ladies, I would think you would no better than to allow Teal'c to tire himself out the night before a big mission."

Sam and Vala looked at each other. "Um, Sir, we have tomorrow off," Sam said.

"That was a joke, Colonel," Landry said, shaking his head. "Get back to work."

After General Landry left, Sam and Vala looked at Teal'c, sitting up on his bench.

"You need any help, Muscles?"

Teal'c shook his head.

That was good enough for Vala, but Sam hung back, wanting to make sure her friend was okay after his extreme workout.

Vala skipped down the corridors back to her room, grabbing a lollypop before making her way to Daniel's office.

Yep, she was definitely enjoying life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Chapter 4. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate, or anything by Tanya Tucker. _

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, it's been crazy lately, but here it is, finally, chapter 4. Thanks for all the reviews, and the encouragement, from those of you who like the story, and constructive criticism is always welcome, so don't be too shy to leave a review. _

…

**Day 16:**

"_She's 41 and her Daddy still calls her baby!" _Vala sang along as she brushed her hair and fixed it with a pink clip. "_All the folks 'round Brownsville say she's crazy. But she walks downtown wi- …"_ she trailed off as she turned around and saw Cam standing in the doorway behind her.

For a moment neither of them said anything. Vala's mouth hung lopsided mid-word.

Cam cleared his throat, then broke the silence. "So … Tanya Tucker?"

Vala blushed. "Guilty."

Cam nodded. "I'm a Jose Cueravo guy myself," he confessed.

Vala smiled, her color slowly returning to its normal hue.

"So, are you ready?" Cameron inquired.

"Just," she answered, picking up her purse and fixing a smile on her face. "Let's go."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"So, you still haven't told me where we're going …" Vala reminded him again.

Cam smiled. "And I'm still not going to …"

Vala pouted. "Oh, come on, just a little hint, pleeeeeease??"

Cameron laughed and shook his head at her. _Damn, she pouts them lips at me one more time…_

Vala started playing with the buttons in his car, and suddenly the roof started retreating back into the car, and the wind was blowing Vala's hair around her head.

"How's that working out for you?" Cameron asked, the chuckle in his voice audible over the rushing winds and car noised around them. It took another minute to fix the roof, but eventually the atmosphere inside the car went back to normal, with the notable exception of Vala's windswept locks.

"Does it look as bad as it feels?" Vala asked, too afraid to look.

Cam laughed, slowing the vehicle and pulling into the parking lot of their destination. "You have never looked as charming as you do now," he told her, leaning over and kissing what looked like her cheek. "Besides, you'll probably want to just pull it all back in a pony tail, we're here."

Vala pushed the hair away from the front of her face to see a big flashing sign before her that read "Paintball", and a couple standing near the doors, the man looking quite familiar to her.

"Isn't that Darrell?" Vala wondered as she forced her hair to cooperate.

"Yup," he replied, turning off the engine.

"When did he get here?"

"About 5 minutes ago," he answered.

Vala looked back and forth between the two men, her palm resting on the door handle. "I'm missing something, aren't I?"

Cam nodded again, trying to prevent his grin from spreading ear-to-ear, and stepping out of the car at last.

Darrell moved forwards to shake his friends' hand. "Took your time."

Cameron rolled his eyes, moving over to the car to take Vala's hand, and then walking back over to the couple before him.

"Darrell, you remember Vala," he said, as Vala gave Darrell a quick hug in welcome.

Vala smiled, releasing the jittery man. "And who is this lovely lady you've attached yourself to?"

Darrell and his date both smiled. "This gorgeous woman is Shawn, and she has graciously agreed to be my wife."

Vala's kind smile grew giddy. She'd never been in this situation before, but it was exciting.

"Oh, wonderful," she said, hugging Susan. "When's the wedding?"

Vala and Shawn walked away from the other two, talking dates, dresses and daisies.

Cam nudged his old friend. "That glint in her eye? That's the gleeful look she gets when she's about to use Daniel's credit card."

Darrell laughed, but it was short-lived as he looked sincerely at his pal. "How's that going, man?

"What, Daniel's credit card? Not so good, I'd imagine."

Darrell gave him his serious look, which did not surface very often.

Cameron sighed. "I think it's going okay."

"You think?" Darrell repeated. "Come on, man, be straight with me. Is this going to work?"

"Honestly," Cam started, watching the two raven-haired beauties chatting out of earshot, "I have no idea. But I know I want it to."

"And this Jackson guy, he treat her right?"

Cam swung his head back around. "Daniel's a great guy, though you didn't hear it from me. If she chooses him it's because she loves him. But I'll take whatever time I can get with her. She's worth it."

"Even if it breaks your heart?"

Cameron smiled. "Isn't that the whole point of love?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Vala's giggles, snickers and snorts could be heard all over the base, Cam was sure.

It had been a long, but well-spent day. Paintball had been an interesting experience for Vala. She had been concerned about the point of the game, shooting at each other on purpose, but for fun. Then the concept of the paint in the balls was explained to her, and she found herself at home in her element. Cameron couldn't count all the bruises he had over his body, but it was worth it, just to spend the day with her. Though he wasn't sure they qualified as a couple, it was nice to spend time away from the SGC, hanging out with a normal couple for once, holding hands, or even just ducking out of the way of a flying, yellow, "pain" ball.

He had spent the latter part of the evening debating the kiss goodnight. How it should be, where it should stop. Vala had told them that sex wasn't going to be an issue. If it happened, it happened, but Cameron Mitchell wasn't the kind of guy who could just sleep with a girl once. Not when his feelings for her were this strong. He had decided as he drove them back, Vala snuggling into his shoulder, his right arm wrapped around her, that it would end with a kiss, but a lot of feelings would be in that kiss. Everything he was feeling now, had been feeling for months, would be poured into that kiss. He only hoped he didn't scare her.

"I think you might be a little trigger high," Cam informed her, spinning her a few times before they reached her door, and he pulled her into his embrace.

Vala breathed in his scent. "Today was … well, interesting to say the least, but perfect to say the most."

Cam smiled. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed kicking my ass."

Vala grinned again. "It was fun."

There was a pause, neither speaking, but both breathing a little heavier.

Cameron spoke, attempting to break the tension with some more tension. "Vala, I've been trying to work things out, in my head, for a while now. My feelings for you, our position here, our friendship … what could happen between us, with us, and such … anyway my point is. I've never felt this way before. I mean, I've had girlfriends before, although I don't know if you count yourself as my girlfriend, not that you don't either, I guess that's up to you, which of course it is, because that's why we're going this … anyway. I guess what I'm trying to say is, well …"

He gave up trying to speak, and simply swooped in and kissed her, pressing her body up against the door, his arm around her waist, the other hand, holding hers against the door, feeling her gasp and then sigh under his ministrations. When he finally, reluctantly, pulled back, her eyes had begun to roll back, and her cheeks were a rosy pink.

"So, um … goodnight, Vala," he said, catching his breath and walking back to his quarters.

Vala had to brace her knees to stop herself from falling. Remembering to breathe, all she could say was, "Wow."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

…

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate, as much as I wish I did.

…

A/N: I felt that Cam was getting too much of a head start, so I thought I'd throw some Daniel/Vala into this chapter.

Sorry for the long delay in these last couple chapters, it's been crazy.

As always, please read and review, I love feedback, even if it's just to tell me how much I suck.

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Vala couldn't sleep a wink that night. And she had also never understood that phrase. How do you sleep a wink? You don't wink when you sleep, and Vala had never known anyone to sleep with one eye open, though she knew many who tried.

She kept replaying the kiss Cam had given her. His stuttered speech leading up to it, that Vala had had a hard time following. But what the gist was, she thought, was that Cam's feelings for her were a bit stronger than he'd thought they'd be, but didn't know how to express, so settled for giving her a world-rocking kiss.

Yep, that sounded about right.

Sighing, Vala turned back and forth, trying to force herself to sleep.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

**Day 17: **Vala made her way to the commissary, yawning every few seconds.She had large circles under her eyes, and planned on making Cameron pay for them, but ran into Daniel first.

"Hello, Darling," she said half-heartedly, rubbing at her eyes, and then noticed that she hadn't even put her hair up this morning. Sighing, she grabbed one half of her hair.

"Hello, Vala," Daniel welcomed cheerfully. "How are you this morning?"

Vala glared at him.

"Okay, that good," Daniel said, fiddling with his hands behind his back. "Well, I think I can make you feel better…"

Vala gazed at him for a few seconds as she finished with her pigtails, and then decided to give in. "Okay, I'll bite. What's up?"

Daniel smiled, and took her hand, leading her back to his room. "I have a surprise for you?"

"In your bedroom?" Vala inquired, a wiggle in her eyebrows. "Well, Daniel, it is rather early for that, but ok, I'm game if you are."

Daniel rolled his eyes at her. "No, Vala, I'm not taking you for sex," he said, not noticing the marines passing them. Daniel sighed as he heard them snicker.

"Hey, does this surprise have anything to do with caffeine?"" she wondered hopefully.

Daniel shook his head, and led her into his quarters.

"Okay, what's the big surprise?" she asked, looking around his room, and seeing nothing obvious.

Then he took his free hand from behind his back, and Vala looked at the small box, eyeing it carefully.

"Well, open it," Daniel prompted, and Vala took it from him.

She sat down on the edge of his bed, and slowly opened the lid.

Her eyes sparkled in the light of the shiny beauty before her. "This is for me?"

Daniel smiled and nodded, knowing he'd made the right choice.

"This must have cost a fortune!"

Daniel smiled again. "It did, but luckily my parents left me a substantial one."

"But, what's the occasion/" Vala wondered, afraid at first to touch it.

"Nothing special, I just wanted to get you something nice," Daniel insisted, watching her eyes twinkle, and her lips twitch.

"Oh, Daniel, this is just gorgeous," she cooed, taking the dagger out of the box.

It was small, but heavy enough to do serious damage. The handle was golden, adorned by pictographs that Vala didn't understand, but loved anyway. The blade itself shone bright against her skin, perfectly polished and sharpened.

"This is just … oh!" Vala quickly removed her normal knife from her leg holster and replaced it with the deadly beauty, then handed Daniel the old knife.

"Yep, perfect," she said, smiling broadly, no longer tired.

"Well, I'm glad you like it, I wasn't sure about it at first, thought I should get you a necklace instead," Daniel admitted.

Vala shook her head, stepping into his body, placing her hands on his hips. "Nothing could have been better than this. Thank you, Daniel."

"You are definitely welcome," he said just before their lips met.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_Chapter Six. _

…

_Disclaimer: I don't own stargate, though I wouldn't mind a visit from Daniel or Cam…_

…

_A/N: As is stated in the pairing of the fic, this is a Cam/Vala fic, it will end with them being together, but I wanted to make it seem realistic that she's choosing Cam over Daniel, so yes, I had Daniel appear to Vala's materialistic side, to show that he didn't know the way to her heart, like Cam did. But, I'm not trying to put Cam way ahead of Daniel in points, so I had Daniel give her a weapon, instead of a pretty necklace._

_So, enough of my rambling, and on with the story! As always, I love feedback, so please read and review. _

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**Day 25: **Almost a month had gone by since three of the members of SG-1 had made their 'pact'.

Vala had found herself eating more in the last 25 days than she had all year, what with having a full course lunch with Cam every day, an expensive, filling dinner with Daniel every other night, and the macaroons Cam would make her, or the donuts Daniel would bring her.

Vala felt like they were fattening her up, but she didn't care, because everything felt so good. Except for the sex. She had expected there to be sex by now.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Day 26:** Vala had made a habit of wearing her new dagger whenever she could, whether it be hidden up her sleeve, or in a holster on her leg. She had thought at first that she would be rubbing it in Cam's face, but he had seemed to be fine with it, and had in fact admired it once while they were having lunch in his quarters.

A part of her wished that Cam would have gotten jealous about the knife, the way that Daniel had gotten jealous about her being in Cam's bed that night, but she didn't know why. At first, she had figured that it was simply attention, she had wanted equal attention from her two boys, but then she had let her mind start thinking again, and it just didn't seem like that was it.

She had been so sure at the start of this that she would end up with Daniel, that he was the one she wanted, that he was the one for her, but now, 25 days into this game of hers, she wasn't so sure.

Sighing, she pushed the annoying thoughts out of her head, and started getting ready for her date with Daniel. Enough of this crap. Tonight, she was getting sex.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So, that was …" Daniel started.

"Yeah … it was,' Vala said, twitching her nose a bit for something to do.

"We could, um, try again?" Daniel suggested, staring at the ceiling.

Vala looked over at him. "Sure. I'm sure we were just nervous," Vala added. "You know, our first time together, and all."

Daniel nodded. "Right. Nervous."

"Well, let's go again, then,' Vala said, turning and climbing on top of Daniel.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Day 27:** Vala gave Daniel a quick kiss before she left him room, making her way quietly back to hers.

She had been somewhat right, they had been nervous the first time, and it had been better the second time, but Vala couldn't help but think that something was missing.

Sighing, she made it back to her quarters, shedding her clothing and stepping into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over her sweat-dried body.

"I'm so confused," she whispered to no one in particular as she cleaned herself.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Vala was on her way to the commissary when she bumped into Cam, almost sending his tray of food flying.

"Hey, I was just on my way to meet you," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

Vala's smile was forced. "I was actually looking for you. Sam asked me if I could spend lunch with her today, she wanted to talk to me about something. Is that ok?"

Cam's smile was concerned. "Of course it is. I can see if Teal'c wants to spar or something. No problem. I hope everything's okay with Sam."

Vala said, "I'm sure it is, probably just needs some girl talk. I'll see you later."

Vala gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then rushed to Sam's lab, where her friend had agreed to meet her.

"So, what's up?" Sam wondered. "Why'd you wanna have lunch today?"

"I have a big problem," Vala began.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_End of Chapter Six. Hope you liked it. As always, reviews are appreciated. Thanks!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

_Chapter Seven_

…

_Disclaimer: I don't own stargate._

…

_A/N: it stated at the beginning of this fic that Vala was expecting sex from them. I do not therefore understand why it is a big deal that Daniel and Vala had sex in the last chapter._

_I always intended for one of them to sleep with Vala, and I'm sorry for those of you who thought it would be Cam, but it was my intention for her to fall for Cam because of who he was, not how good he was in the sack. _

_I'd also like to say that if you decide to stop reading this fic just because Vala slept with Daniel, then I feel sorry for that, because this story isn't about Daniel, it's about Vala realizing her feelings for Cam, and one of the ways she does that, is by realizing that her and Daniel don't work for each other. _

_Well, enough of my rambling, and on with the rest of the story…_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So, what's the problem?" Sam asked her, setting aside her notes.

"Daniel and I had sex," Vala stated.

"Oh ..." Sam said, looking down for a second. "And you wanted my advice on that?"

"It wasn't good," Vala complained, sitting down on her stool.

Sam fidgeted with her hair for a moment.

"Sam!"

"I'm sorry, Vala, I really don't know what to make of that."

Vala sighed. "You're supposed to tell me what it means!"

Sam looked at the woman before her with wide eyes. "Well, have you, er … slept with Cam yet?"

Vala shook her head.

"Well, maybe you should … I mean the point of this whole thing was to decide which one you wanted to end up with. And you are very … well, sexual, so maybe you're supposed to be with the one that you … er, enjoy the most?"

Vala mulled this over for a few moments.

"So you think I should sleep with Cam, even things out?"

Sam shrugged.

"Well, which one would you choose?" Vala asked her friend.

Sam sighed. "Well, I guess the scientist part of me would choose Daniel, we have more in common there, and have known each other longer. But the military side of me would choose Cam. No offense to Daniel, but Cam's the one I'd rather have backing me up in a sticky situation. So, I guess my answer is … I don't know which one I would choose. Luckily, I don't have to."

Vala glared at Sam. The annoying woman was already in a relationship, and happy about it too. Bitch.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Day 29:** Two days later, and Vala still didn't know how to broach the subject with Cam. She had called off her date with Daniel that night, told him that she was tired, and told Sam to tell Cam that she wanted to see him in her room.

She knew it was childish, but didn't care.

She had been pacing around her room for a few minutes when she heard a light knock on the door. She rushed to answer it, but then calmed herself and took a few breaths.

She opened the door and was met with a bright grin from Cam.

"Hey," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping into her room. "Sam said you wanted to see me. What's up?"

And then Vala was on him. Pushing him back against the door, Vala smothered him with kisses.

"Oh," was all he said, and then he was kissing her back.

Vala's heart was beating furiously, her head was spinning, it was all she could do to not pass out, but something about Cam grounded her, and she smiled into her kisses. When she started leading him back to the bed, though, he broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?" Vala asked, looking up at him worriedly.

Cam sighed. "Um, Vala, I can't do this."

Vala looked at him strangely. "When you say you can't, do you mean …?"

Cam's eyes grew wide. "No, I can! I really can. I just mean I can't do this now."

"Oh," Vala realized, disappointed. "I see."

Cam followed her down onto the bed, keeping a safe distance between them. "I don't think you do. It's not that I don't want to … I do. It's just that, well…" he trailed off.

Vala brought her head up to meet his eyes. "What?"

Cameron sighed. "I don't do one-night-stands, Vala. Not with the women I lo- … with the women that I really like."

Vala's eyes began to water.

"Oh, please don't cry," he said, wrapping her up in his arms.

Vala shook her head. "No, these are good tears, I think."

"Good tears?"

Vala nodded, sniffling a bit. "I think that something just clicked in my head. I don't really know what it means though."

She looked up at the strong man holding her, and rested her head against his chest.

"Do you think you could stay here tonight and just … hold me?"

Cam smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Not bothering to change into her pajamas, Vala pulled back the covers and they both got into the bed. As she cuddled against him, Vala couldn't help but feel that this was more intimate than her night with Daniel had been, and that scared her, but also made her smile.

_I must be going crazy,_ she thought, drifting off.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_End of Chapter Seven. I hope you liked this chapter, but I don't write these so people will like them, I write them because I like them._

_As always, please read and review. I love getting feedback, even if it's to tell me how much I royally suck, although it's really sad when all people have to say is complaining about the pairing … sigh…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

_Chapter Eight. _

…

_Disclaimer: I don't own stargate._

…

_A/N: 1__st__) I would like to point out there is a difference between sex, and making love. Vala had sex with Daniel, they did not make love. _

_2__nd__) Just because Daniel and Vala had sex, doesn't mean Daniel is ahead in points. _

_3__rd__) This fic was never supposed to be all Cam all the time, there is going to be conflict. Since I stated early on it would definitely end with Cam/Vala, I wanted to throw in a few curve balls, make her slant towards Daniel for a while. I wanted the decision to be hard for Vala, but ultimately she would know where her heart truly belonged. But thank you for everyone who commented just to say you hated the Daniel/Vala pairing, that you hated the fact that Daniel and Vala had sex. _

_4__th__) It was very important to me that Cam and Vala did not have sex. Vala is not a slut, I do not intend to portray her as such (thanks again for the people who thought that), but she is interested in sex, she likes sex, and liking sex does not make someone a slut. Vala is not attached to either one of these men, has not made a commitment yet, and so has the right to sleep with them if she so desires. However, she won't be having sex with Daniel again, because she realizes that they went too far, and until she made a decision, it can't happen again. _

_5__th__) oy … enjoy the rest of the story. _

……………………………………………………………………………………………

**Day 30:** One month was already up. Only one month left to go. And Vala was more confused than she had been in her entire life.

Cam had left about a half hour ago, and had just gotten out of the shower and was now brushing her hair up into a ponytail.

She had thought she wanted Daniel. She had always enjoyed making Daniel squirm with her sexual innuendos. And now that she had slept with him, she felt … guilty. As though she had betrayed Cam.

_Now that's just stupid. Both of them knew from the beginning that I was probably going to have sex with both of them. But now, everything feels so different. _

Waking up with Cam next to her had felt so … normal. Like she'd been doing it every day, like she would continue to do it for the rest of her –

_Okay, girl, this is getting too strange. Were you actually just thinking about spending the rest of your life with Cam? I mean, yeah, he's good looking, and sweet, and kind, and smart, and thoughtful, and oh so pretty … aah! Quit it woman! This is not what this thing was about! It was supposed to be fun, and you were supposed to choose Daniel. _

Vala made her way to the gym. She was sparring with Teal'c before their next mission. She figured this would be a good way to work off some of her tension.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"What's this I hear about an Unas coming to the base?" Vala heard Dr. Lam ask Cameron as she left the infirmary. She had finished her pre-mission check-up, and Cam was starting his.

"That critter that Jackson made friends with, apparently it's coming with us on this mission. Jackson wants to introduce it more "friendly" planets, get it in touch with whatever it is it's touching, I guess," Cam said.

Vala waited outside the door for a few moments to hear the rest of Cam's talk with the doctor.

"I take it you don't like these Unas?" Carolyn asked him.

"Hey, it's big, it's bad, and it had a Goa'uld in its head. That spells 'bad' in my books."

Vala clapped a hand to her mouth and hurried away from the infirmary. She couldn't believe Cam had said those things.

_I had a Goa'uld in my head; I did unspeakable things under its control. Does that mean he could never see me as anything but a Goa'uld?_

Vala made her way to her room and closed the door, sliding down to the ground with her head in her hands.

_I can't believe I actually saw myself having a future with him._

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Well, Vala had a Goa'uld inside her. And the rumor around here is that you're kinda crazy about her."

Cam sighed. "Well, it's different with Vala. She's …"  
"What?" Carolyn said, squeezing the blood pressure tube a bit tighter than necessary. "Human?"

"Well … yeah." Cam answered, wincing a little.

Dr. Lam rolled her eyes. "With everything you've seen going through that gate, how can you make such a distinction? The Unas were slaves, just like the Goa'uld made humans their slaves. The only difference is, it took a lot more to kill an Unas than it did a human host."

"Okay, I get your point. I guess I just misspoke," Cam said, waving the sheet beside him as a white flag.

"Just don't let Vala hear you saying stuff like that. She's very sensitive about it,' Carolyn warned.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

After carefully wiping away all traces of tears from her face, Vala made her way to the gate room. It was quite easy to spot the Unas … Chaka was his name, if she remembered correctly.

It was also just as easy to spot which of the men in SG uniform was Daniel. He seemed to like wearing a bandana whenever he was with Chaka, perhaps that was how Chaka recognized him, she wasn't sure, but she thought it suited him. Made him look more the military man, as he should with such a large presence next to him.

Vala had seen many Unas in her days a thief, treasure hunter, trader. This Unas looked the most humanized than any she had encountered. _That's definitely Daniel's influence._

Vala studied Daniel carefully. He was an attractive man. Obviously intelligent. And more painfully obvious was his compassion. His drive to protect the underdog. His ability to care for others, more than his own well-being.

Vala admired that about him.

_Maybe I was right in the beginning. Maybe Daniel is the one for me… Everything that's been happening with Cam lately … I don't know what that was. But if he feels that was about this poor creature, then he could never feel anything more than partnership with me. But Daniel … Daniel and I have always had this special bond. Strange at times, but definitely there. Would it really be so bad if I chose Daniel?_

Vala felt a strange pang in her heart as this last thought, but chose to ignore it, and moved to stand beside Daniel, entwining her fingers with his and placing a forced but pleasant smile on her face.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_End of Chapter 8._

…

_Mua ha ha! Tension! Second thoughts! Heavy emotion! Snicker, snort._

_I'm really enjoying this fic so far. I hope you are too!_

_Don't worry, Vala will still end up with Cam … it's just too hard to resist the Daniel/Vala scenes, and it's obvious that she feels more for Cam than Daniel, which is why he can break her heart so easily!_

…

_As always, please read and review, I love getting feedback, even if it's to tell me how much I royally suck!_


	9. Chapter 9

.  
Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own stargate, probably never will.

A/N: The story is finished, I'm just tweaking the last few chapters, so bear with me, the end is near.  
As always, please read and review, I love getting feedback …

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Day 41: **Cam walked around the SGC, hands in his pockets. He had been trying to talk to Vala for the last week or so, but she'd been ignoring him.  
He was confused to say the least. He'd thought everything had been going great between them, but now things were so tense. They still been having lunch almost every day, but lately the lunches had been quiet. Strained.  
He didn't know what to make of it.  
He was almost at Jackson's office when he heard her laugh. Well, more specifically her giggle, the one that meant she was not just happy, but giddy.  
Slowing his pace, he peered around the corner and saw Vala sitting on Daniel's lap, and from the way they looked, they had just finished kissing.  
Cam felt a heat surge in his chest, but pushed it back down with effort. Vala wasn't his girl; he had no claim to her. It wasn't his place to get mad that she was kissing Daniel. Even if it was lunch time, and they were supposed to be having a 'date' right now.  
"You are very cute," he heard Daniel tell her as he placed a light kiss on her nose.  
Vala smiled. Cam couldn't quite identify this smile. "Well, you're not exactly hideous yourself."  
As Cam decided he didn't feel a strong desire to watch their displays of affection, he instead walked back down the hallway, hoping to catch Sam at her lab.  
Back in Daniel's office, Vala was still draped across his lap.  
"You know, I was actually intending to get some work done in here," Daniel told her, tracing his finger along her thigh.  
"Spoilsport," Vala said, pouting.  
Daniel sighed, but picked her up off his lap and set her beside him on the chair he had pulled out for her.  
"We can continue this at dinner later. My place?" Daniel suggested, collecting his notes together on his desk.  
"Sure," Vala said, standing up and wrapping her arms around Daniel in a quick hug. "See you later."  
She gave her hips a little extra swagger, despite the fact that her heart wasn't in it, but she heard Daniel chuckle behind her, and it at least made her feel content, for the moment.

...

Sam was just leaving her lab when Cam caught up with her.  
"Sam, wait up a minute!" he called to her.  
"Hey, Cam, what's up, I was just on my way out."  
Cam stopped beside her. "Oh, where you going?"  
Sam did her awkward smile. "Um, actually the General's taking me out to lunch."  
"Ah, I see," Cam said, chuckling a little.  
"Was it important, 'cause I could get him to come pick me up instead...?"  
"Um, no just a quick question."  
"Shoot," Sam said, checking her watch.  
Cam ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I was wondering if Vala mentioned to you if she was mad at me?"  
Sam's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak but before anything could come out the alarm blared and the lights flashed. "Unscheduled Off-World Activation!"  
Sam and Cam rushed to the gate room, making it up the steps just ahead of Vala.  
"What's up?" Cam asked her casually but she brushed past him and chose to stand beside Walter as General Landry came down the steps from his office.  
"Receiving IDC, Sir," Walter said as he opened the iris.  
"This better be good, I was on the phone with the Pres-"  
But before he could finish his sentence, a weapon came flying through the gate penetrating the glass of the gate room.  
Everyone dropped to the floor. Daniel had just come up the stairs when he saw the short, stick-like object come flying into the gate room, and he hit the deck like everyone else.  
"Everyone alright?" Sam asked.  
"I'm good," Cam answered.  
General Landry, Daniel and Walter all answered yes.  
"Vala?" Cam wondered and looked beside him to see a red-hot piece of metal sticking out of Vala's abdomen.

...


	10. Chapter 10

_..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything Stargate related, just the words that are being typed. _

_..._

_A/N: Just to clarify, Vala is not a whore, ho, slut, skank, or whatever tasteful words of that occupation. She chose to sleep with Daniel because he was safe. Sleeping with someone doesn't make you a ho, sleeping with a lot of people is closer to that description, but Vala has only slept with one of them. _

_This is the last chapter, so no I won't be dragging this on forever. Everything will be resolved in this chapter, but I might do a sequel showing maybe five years down the road or something ... I haven't decided yet. _

_Also to clarify, I do not hate Daniel, Cam, or Vala. I love all these characters. It will as stated end with Cam/Vala, but I didn't want the decision to be easy for Vala. I wanted her to follow her heart, but her hormones would definitely confuse her along the way. _

_So, without further babbling on my part, the final chapter of Sleep My Sweet._

_Don't forget to review please!_

...

**Day 48:** Vala had been asleep for a week. Daniel and Cam had carried her to the infirmary; her body limp, her chest barely rising and falling with each faint breath. Dr. Lam had yelled at them for moving her before medical help had arrived, but neither of them had cared. As long as they didn't do her further harm. As long as she would live...

The surgery had been long, but after hours of pacing and scowling and worrying from Cam, Daniel and Sam, they had finally been able to breathe normally when Dr. Lam had come out and told them Vala would be fine. She would need a lot of bedrest, and wouldn't be approved for active duty for at least a month, but she would live.

That was a week ago. She still hadn't waken up.

Cam had interrogated Dr. Lam for hours on end, but her answers never changed. It had to be psychological. Her wound should not have affected her brain, there was no futher infection, and from what they could tell, there was nothing supernatural about the weapon. A member of SG-4 had been forced to give up their IDC, and the Goa'uld had sent their weapon through, intending to follow with ground troops, but Walter had managed to get the iris closed in time. SG-4 had been slaughtered, and their codes were blocked out of the computer.

None of this meant anything to Cam as he sat beside Vala's bed, fighting back tears.

Cam kept going over and over the events of the last week. A military funeral had been given inside the gate room for SG-4. Vala had been moved to an isolation room to make room for casualties of the Alpha Site attack two days ago, and because SG-1 all but refused to leave the infirmary, and was driving the medical staff nuts with their constant questions.

Cam didn't understand why Vala wouldn't wake up. The worst was over. Her injuries had already begun to heal. All he could think was it must be something he'd done. She had been upset with him for at least a week before the attack on the SGC. But he didn't know why. If only Sam had told him why ...

"Sam!" he practically shouted. He moved over to the intercom and said, "Colonel Carter, report to the isolation room, now!"

...

It didn't take long for her to get there, and Daniel followed closely behind.

"What's happened, did she wake up?" Daniel asked.

"Don't you think I would have called you down too?" he asked, annoyed.

Daniel sighed, and with one last look at Vala, left the room and headed back to his office.

"What is it, Cameron?" Sam asked him, sitting down in the chair beside Vala's bed.

Cam composed himself as best as he could. "The day of the attack. I w-was asking you a, a question ab-about Vala, d-do you remember?"

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. "Cam, calm down. We have been over this, it isn't your fault."

"I just need to know if she was mad at me, Sam. If I did something that I should have apologized for."

Sam scratched her head. "Well, she was acting weird this one day, a few weeks back. She'd just come back from getting her pre-mission check-up. She came into my lab, and she was ... I don't know, different. She said something about her heart messing with her, and that from now on she was only going to follow her brain and her brain ... "

She looked away from Cam.

"What, Sam? Her brain what?" he demanded.

She sighed. "I really don't think you want to hear this."

Cam took the arms of her chair and turned it towards him so they were face to face.

"Sam, I need to hear this."

Sam took another deep breath. "She said her brain was telling her to be with Daniel."

Cam's heart sunk. His eyes closed. When he opened them again, Sam was gone, and Vala still wasn't awake.

She had heard him. She had heard what he'd say about the Goa'uld. _Wow. I couldn't have possibly made a bigger ass out of myself. And she thought that I meant her too. How could I ever think that about her? Why didn't she know I never meant her?_

Cam put his head in his hands and gave in once more to his tears. "I wish I knew how to fight for you."

...

**Day 62:** Cam awoke to the sound of the beeping monitor beside him. Rubbing his face with his hand, he sat up in his chair, blinking a few times.

"It's about time you woke up."

Cam's head nearly came off, it spun around so fast.

"Vala!"

He moved to hug her, but she held up her hand, stopping him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting back down in his chair.

"First, if you don't mind, I'd like you to call Daniel down here, please," she said coldly.

"Uh, okay," he said, standing up. "Sure."

It only took a minute for Daniel to get to the isolation room, and he was panting when he arrived.

"Is she ...?"

Cam nodded, feeling a familiar sinking feeling in his chest.

"Vala, thank god you're alright!" he said, and rushed to hug her. The fact that she let Daniel hug her, although stiffly, was not lost on Cam.

"Yes, well, you can tell me what happened in a minute. But first, I believe I have a decision to make."

Cam and Daniel looked at each other and then back at Vala.

"Vala, you don't have to decide this now," he said. "I mean, you can take whatever time you need."

Vala shook her head. "I don't need any more time. I've had quite enough time to think about this. And my answer is Daniel," she said, refusing to meet Cam's eyes, instead focusing on Daniel. "I choose you."

Cam held back the tears threatening to fall, and instead nodded once to Vala, said, "Goodbye," in a quiet voice that wasn't quite his own, and left the room, patting a smiling Daniel on the back once.

...

Two months had gone by. Two months of Daniel and Vala holding hands in the hall. Two months of having to see them together every day, having to sleep in a tent with Sam, knowing that Vala and Daniel were together in the other one every time they went on a two or three-day mission.

Cam wasn't sure how much more he could take. Which was why he was now in General Landry's office, requesting a transfer.

"You're sure this is what you want, Mitchell?"

"Yes, Sir," he answered.

"Well, as disappointed as I am, I see no reason to prolong your misery."

Cam cocked his head slightly. "Disappointed, Sir?"

General Landry stood and moved around his desk to face Cam. "Son, all that girl ever wanted was for you to fight for her."

Cam was a little taken aback that he was having this conversation with his commanding officer, but responded nonetheless.

"With all due respect, Sir, all she ever wanted was Jackson."

Landry laughed. "You're an excellent leader, Mitchell, but a sad listener. Just trust me on this one. Talk to her."

"My request for transfer, Sir?" Cam inquired.

Landry smiled. "Let's just say I'm considering it."

...

Cam made his way to Vala's quarters. He didn't know exactly what he was going tosay other than goodbye.

He raised his hand, sighed deeply, and knocked three times.

It took a while for Vala to answer the door, and when she did, her eyes were puffy and it was obvious that she'd been crying. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he didn't think that would end well. Instead he asked if he could come in.

Vala rolled her eyes a little, but moved so he could enter.

"I need to talk to you about something, Vala," he started, and sat down on the edge of her bed. She moved over to her dresser and leaned against the edge.

"And what would that be, Cameron?" she said icily.

Cam bit his lip. "Well for starters, I want to apologize. I uh, I know that you heard what I said to Dr. Lam, about the Unas ... about Chaka. And I know that you thought that I meant you too."

Vala's breath hitched in her chest for a moment, but she pushed her feelings back down where they belonged. She had to be clear-minded, that was the only way she wouldn't get hurt.

Cam forced himself to look at her. "I could never mean those things about you. I was being stupid when I said that, and I would take it back a thousand times if I could. I never, ever wanted to hurt you, but that's exactly what I did. When I saw you lying there, the day of the attack. My heart broke. I felt it. The thought that you might not be okay ... it shattered me. It was all I could do to get you to the infirmary, to make sure that you would live. I didn't know how to save you, how to help you through what you were going through. I didn't know how to tell you that everything would be okay. I still don't.

"I just came here to tell you that you made the right choice. Daniel would never hurt you, and I did. I lo- ..."

Cam broke eye contact with her, blinking away his tears.

"I loved you, and I hurt you. And you shouldn't have to be around me. I put in a request for a transfer today. If General Landry approves it, I'll be moving to the new Alpha Site. With any luck, you won't have to see me very much."

Cam stood from the bed and looked at Vala once more, and noticed she too was on the verge of tears.

"I am so sorry."

He turned away, took a breath attempting to steady himself, and headed to the door.

He was stopped with his hand on the doornob by a hard hit to the back by Vala.

He turned to see tears flowing down her face. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I had a say in your feelings? Did you ever think that maybe I had started falling for you? And you're just going to turn your back on me without a fight?"

In a quiet voice, Cam said, "You chose him, Vala."

"Because you didn't want me. You can talk all you want about "love" but you never even gave a damn about -"

Cam crushed his lips to hers.

Vala's yelp was muffled as Cam turned and pressed her against the door.

Cam opened his eyes to see Vala's fluttering and he could feel her heart beating faster.

He was the first to pull away, and he leaned his head on her shoulder as he caught his breath.

"When I say I love you, I mean it," was all he said, and then he moved past her, opened the door, and left.

Vala leaned back against the closed door, bent over with her head in her hands. _Why can't anything ever be simple?_

...

The day of Cam's departure had finally come. Nearly everyone in the SGC had come to see him off. His smile was forced, but he shook hands with and said farewell to everyone that greeted him.

As though in slow motion, he saw Vala walk in, dressed in her usual SG greens, but with a barely noticable black flower in her hair. She was mourning him.

Teal'c walked up to him. "I am sad to see you go, Cameron Mitchell. Though I am confidant Samantha Carter will be an excellent leader, it will not be the same without you."

"Thanks, Teal'c," he said, and hugged his friend. "I'll call you sometime, we'll hang out."

Sam walked up next. "I'm sorry to see you go, Cam. It won't be the same around here without you."

"Thanks, Sam, but you'll do great. I'll see you around."

Sam gave him a hug, and then it was Daniel's turn.

Cam couldn't force this smile. Instead he met Daniel's eyes and said, "I guess the best man won after all, huh?"

Daniel laughed dryly. "She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Cam asked, glancing at Vala over Daniel's shoulder.

"We - she ended it with me," he told Cam. "She said that it wasn't fair to me when she was in love with someone else. I have no doubt that someone else was you."

Cam blinked several times, searching for a lie in Daniel's stare. "You're not joking?"

"What do you think?" Daniel asked.

Cam laughed. "Wow, that's just ... perfect."

"So what are you going to do?"

Cam's eyes were drawn to the black flower still in Vala's hair. In a split second his mind was made up.

"I'm gonna fight for her."

His eyes flickered back to Daniel momentarily. "Are we still ...?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "We're fine, just go get the girl."

...

Cam could feel his temperature rise as he walked down the ramp. He could feel every single set of eyes in the room following his movements, but he only had eyes for one.

As his eyes found the black petalled rose in her hair once more, he knew what had to be done.

He cleared his throat, and the words came out.

"Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on? Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?"

He saw the tiniest flicker of life in Vala's eyes, and kept walking and singing, despite the chuckles and catcalls from the crowd.

"And did I hear you say, he was meeting you here today? To take you to his mansion in the sky."

The people standing around Vala quickly backed away, smiles on their faces, leaving Vala standing alone in the middle of the room, trying to contain her own grin.

He was finally about two feet away from Vala and he dropped to his knees in front of her.

"I love you," he said, but she still didn't respond, so he began another verse.

"In her younger days they called her Delta Dawn. Prettiest wo-"

He stopped singing, stopped speaking, stopped breathing as Vala fell to her knees in front of him and threw her arms around him.

"Please stop torturing everyone, you're butchering the song," she told him, kissing his neck.

Cam allowed a small smile to grace his features. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

Vala leaned back, meeting his eyes. "That depends. You feel like sticking around?"

Cam kissed her softly and quickly. "Definitely."

She kissed him, this time desperately, and not short-lived.

It was a few minutes before they heard a "A-hem" from behind them.

They broke away from the kiss and looked up to see a rather amused-looking General Landry.

"Well, I see we've kissed and made up," he said joyfully. "Does that mean I can shut off the gate now?"

Cam scratched his head. "Uh, yes, Sir. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you about cancelling my transfer request."

"Consider it taken care of, Mitchell. Now if you don't mind, please remove yourselves from my gate room."

Cameron stood and swept Vala up into his arms.

"Yes, Sir," he said, and carried them off to his quarters.

No one heard from either of them for several days.

...

_Okay, finished. So, what did you think? PS, I also don't own anything by Tanya Tucker, just didn't want to spoil the surprise in the beginning disclaimer. _

_Anyways, as always, please read and review. I might be enticed to right another sequel. _


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